Vietnam Flashcards
What injuries did napalm cause?
Fifth degree burns to 3/4 of victims - innocent people
What was napalm?
A US tactic that was a thick sticky gel to burn through jungle trying to find the Ho Chi Minh trail
What was agent orange?
A US tactic which was a defoliant used to over fertilise trees to destroy hiding places of the NLF.
The long term effects of agent orange
Caused babies to be born with deformities
Caused cancer in those who handled it
What was operation rolling thunder in 1965?
A joint attack by US and ARVN war planes on key military and industrial targets in the North.
Where were the first US marines sent to?
Air base at Danang
How many troops were there in Vietnam in 1964?
16,000
How many troops were there in Vietnam in 1968?
Over 500,000
What was the hearts and minds tactic?
The US trying to win the support of people in South Vietnam by improving standard of living which cost the US but showed it was better to not be communist. They built roads and better housing
What were guerilla tactics?
The tactics used by the Vietcong such as booby traps (e.g. bouncing Betty) which were aimed to injure soldiers as that caused more trouble for the US.
Why was it difficult to establish the difference between peasants and the VC?
They wore the same black pyjamas as the peasants so they couldn’t distinguish who was who.
During the war between France and supporters of Ho Chi Minh, how much did the US give to france?
$3 million due to fears of the spread of communism
When was the battle of dien bien phu?
1954
What were the Geneva peace conference decisions?
- Vietnam would be temporarily divided into two along the 17th parallel
- the north would be under the control of communist Ho Chi Minh
- the south would be controlled by catholic anti communist ngo dinh diem
- there would be a general election in 1956 for the whole of Vietnam to decide its future
Dien bien phu casualties
4,000 killed and wounded, 8,000 missing for the French
Vietminh hand 8,000 killed and 12,000 wounded
Between 1954 and 1960 how much did America provide in aid for the South?
$1.6 billion
What did the us do to show support against the north?
They sent US military advisers in 1954 to help prepare for 1956 elections.
They also backed Diem’s refusal to hold elections in 1956 in case the communists won.
Why was Diem’s corrupt government unpopular?
Buddhists were excluded from government positions
Why was the NLF set up?
In opposition to diem and soon controlled parts of the countryside in South Vietnam. It was given supplies from Ho Chi Minh and wanted to reunite North and South and to introduce social and economic reform
When was the gulf of Tonkin?
1964
Why was everyone so shocked by the my Kai massacre?
Nobody other than the Us were armed so they shot unarmed innocent people
When did the my Lai massacre of 1968 come out?
1969
What was the gulf of tonkin?
President Johnson’s excuse for escalating the war
The Vietminh
An organisation started by Ho Chi Minh that fought for independence from foreign rule in Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh
Resistance leader in Vietnam (later leader of North Vietnam)
General Giap
Military leader of the Vietminh (later the north Vietnamese army)
Containment
The policy of preventing the spread of communism e.g. In South Vietnam
Domino theory
Suggested that communism would spread across the world if it was not stopped
SEATO
South east Asia treaty organisation which was anti communist
NLF
National liberation front - communists who had fled from the south to the north then went back south as guerillas
Vietcong
What the Americans called the NLF. It was short for Vietnamese communists
ARVN
Army of the republic of Vietnam - the south vietnams army
NVA
North Vietnamese army
Escalation
Increasing involvement in the war
Americanisation
The idea of America taking over the Vietnam war
Tet offensive casualties
Vietcong - 47%
NVA - 24%
US - 2%
ARVN - 5%
When was the tet offensive
1968
How many cities did the Vietcong attack during the tet offensive?
36
By 1962, how many military advisers were training the ARVN?
11,000
How much did the USSR and china provide for north Vietnam?
At least 6,000 tonnes of supplies per day
How much forest did agent orange burn trough in 1969?
1,034,300 hectares of forest was destroyed
How many civilians were killed at my lai?
Between 300 and 500 in a few hours
When was the Kent state university protest?
1970
When was the Fulbright hearings? I
1971
Between 1969 and 1971 how many troops were withdrawn from Vietnam?
400,000 and only 150,000 left
When was the war veterans march?
1971
How many war veterans took part?
300,000
How many people demonstrated for the end of war?
10,000 in Chicago
How many draft dodgers were wanted by the police by 1969?
34,000
How many students demonstrated?
Over 1,000
Casualties of the Kent state university protest?
4 shot dead
9 injured
When did peace talks in Paris begin?
1968-73
